Telephone meter or register for measuring telephone-calls.



G. l. BRUSCHKE. TELEPHONE-METER OR REGISTER FOR MEASURING TELEPHONE CALLS.

APPLICATION ,FILED AUG.5. 19I5r RENEWED APR. 16, I917- Patented July 10, 1917;

lUhlTTED STATES PATENT @TWBTQE.

GUSTAV I. BRUSGHKE,'OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TELEPHONE METER OR REGISTER FOR MEASURING TELEPHONECALLS.

Application filed August 5, 1915, Serial No. 43,796.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GUs'rAv I. BRUSCHKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Telephone Meter or Register for the Purpose of Measuring Telephone-Calls, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in telephone meters in which two vertically reciprocatin soft wrought iron plungers or armatures inside of two solenoids operate with two levers attached to two Veeder counters; and the objects of my improve ments are, first, to provide a continuously recorded account of number of telephone calls, both those to be paid for and those not to be paid for; second, to afford facilities for the proper adjustment of operation of the armatures independently of one another in respect to the faces of a two-pole horse-shoe shaped permanent magnet; and, third,to cause thereby the independent operation of each individual solenoid ofthe pair of solenoids, relative to the flow of current being either of a positive or a negative direction.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front view of wooden box, inclosing the entire mechanism, showing thereon the numbers on counters D and C; Fig. 2, is a side sectional view of inside of boX showing side view of one counter and is an exact duplicate of the other counter; Fig. 3, is an entire inside view of boX with door or lid open, giving a full view of counters to the right side of Fig. 3, showing mechanical and electrical construction in detail.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The construction of the apparatus is largely obvious from an inspection of the drawing and will be clear from the statement of its use and operation.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows: The telephone-meter is set up in the position shown in the drawing, Fig. 3, and fastened to the wall of the telephone subscribers room, close to the telephone in struments. Thus, for instance, if the telephone-meter is to be used for registering a call for a telephone connection at the subscribers telephone, it may be done by depressing electric push-button B, Fig. 1, when Patented July MI 19917.

Renewed April 16, 1917. Serial No. 162,526.

the telephone operator at the telephone exchange so requests; the subscriber then gives the operator the number that is wanted and the subscriber getting the connection with e the party desired, the telephone operator now sends a positive current over wire H passing from the pole-changing switch at the telephone exchange to hinge Z located on telephone-meter and thence along wire L through the solenoids R and S, then along wire T passing from lower ends of the solenoids to the pivot I, along the bar P to the contact J, and along the wire G soldered to the upper hinge N and thence along the ground wire G to the earth 9.

The telephone operator by sending a positive current over the wire from the exchange to the subscriber and through the solenoids, has thereby caused the armature V to be drawn upward through solenoid S. Said armature V is connected by the pin Y to the link W; this same link W is also connected by another pin Y to the lever E which operates arbor F of the counter D, causing a figure to appear on the face of counter D, which represents the debit number of calls of subscriber. The permanent magnet M has its south-pole piece 8 touching armature V of solenoid S; the positive current sent through the circuit has helped to ropel upward by repulsion the armature When the armature V is caused to ascend its full height, its upper end strikes at the instant of its highest ascension, the bar P, causing said bar P to tilt or rock on the pivot I and break thereby its connection with the contact J, thus releasing the electric push-button B, allowing said push-button to return to its normal. position, ready to be de pressed again when necessary. Now, while the aforesaid positive current has allowed solenoidS to operate its armature and perform its duty, the same current has at the instant held in bound the armature U of solenoid R. The north-pole n of the permanent magnet M, has the lower end of armature U resting on its face, and at the energization of same, causes an attraction between armature U with its induced south-pole and the porth-pole n of the permanent magnet M, and therefore the armature of solenoid B does not operate its counter C.

Now suppose the subscriber failed to get connection with the party desired, then the telephone operator sends in place of a positive current, a negative current over the same route or circuit, as stated. in the first counters operation. The counter C has the same mechanical assembling of parts as counter D, in relation to its solenoid above; but now the solenoid S is ineffective through its V armatures lower end having become a north-pole resting on the south-pole s of permanent magnet M, causing attraction between the two and therefore non-operation of said solenoid S. The U armatures lower end, through solenoid R, has by the passage of the negative current, through solenoid R, become a north-pole and as it rests on the north pole n of the permanent magnet M, therefore repulsion of the two like poles occurs. As stated before, now instead of armature V of solenoid S acting on counter D, the R solenoid armature only acts in conjunction with its counter C and causes a number to appear on the face of its counter G, thereby registering a credit call; now by deducting the number of calls that appear on the face of the counter C, Fig. 1, from those that appear on the counter D, Fig. 1, the remainder totals the number of the calls to be paid for by the subscriber. WVhen' the armature U of the solenoid R ascended upward and reached its highest point it struck at the same moment the bar P and allowed electric push-button B to return to its normal position; and thus leaving the telephonemeter ready automatically for the next registration of a call.

In Fig. 1, the lock 7: is used by the central oiiice to keep subscriber from tampering with the telephone meter.

The installation of this electric telephonemeter requires for its operation only one wire running from the telephone exchange oflice to'the subseribers room and uses the ground for a return wire, and it is necessary to operate the meter by a direct current from either a dynamo or battery; the voltage necessary for the proper working of this meter is determined by the resistance of the solenoids used, and in this case requires onehundred and ten volts (110 volts) as the resitance of solenoids in drawing is put at five-hundred (500) ohms each and thus making necessary the use of 110 volts as given in this specification.

I claim 1. A call registering device, comprising a plurality of electrically excited magnets, a plurality of counters, means for operatively connecting a counter with each of said magnets, an electric circuit including said magnets, a switch in said circuit adapted to be held in circuit closing position when depressed, and tripping mechanism adapted to be actuated by the magnetic action of any one of said magnets to release said switch.

2. A call registering device, comprising two polarized solenoids, each provided with an armature, a counter connected with each of said armatures, an electric circuit including said solenoids, a switch for closing said circuit, and a tripping lever arranged to be actuated by the armature of either solenoid to release said switch.

3. A call registering device, comprising two call counters, a polarized solenoid connected with each of said counters, an elec tric circuit including said solenoids, a pole changer in said circuit for impressing a negative or positive current upon said solenoids to actuate the armature of one of said solenoids, a push button switch for closing said circuit and arranged to be locked in closed position when depressed, and tripping mechanism actuated by either of said solenoids to release said switch.

4. A call registering device, comprising two solenoids having movable armatures, two counters, each connected with one of said armatures, a permanent magnet cooperating with said solenoids to determine the polarity thereof, a depressible switch in the circuit including the windings of said solenoids and arranged to be lockedin closed position, a pole changer in said circuit, and tripping mechanism actuated by either armature to release said switch.

' 5. A call registering apparatus comprising call counters, two polarized solenoids pro. vided with armatures for actuating said counters, apush button, a tripping lever for making contact with said button when the latter is depressed and locking the samedepressed, either of the said armatures when 100 actuated adapted to move the tripping lever to release said button, and an operating circuit including the windings of both solenoids and closed when said push button and tripping lever are in contact.

6. The combination with a telephone register line extending from a subscribers station to a-central office, of a debit and a credit counter, apparatus at the subscribers station comprising two polarized solenoids as- 110 sociated with the line, an armature-for each solenoid, a connection from one armature to the debit counter and a-connection from the other armature to the credit counter, a push button, a tripping lever for making contact 115 with said button when the latter is depressed and locking the same depressed, either of the said armatures when actuated adapted to move the tripping lever to release the butten, the said register line being closed to 120 ground at the substation when the button is in contact with said lever, and meansat the central oliice for impressing upon the line a positive or a negative direct current impulse tooperate said polarized solenoids, substan- 125 tially as set fort a 7. In a call registering apparatus a debit counter, a credit counter, a polarized solenoid for operating each, a permanent horseshoe magnet having one pole in contactwith 130 the armature to one solenoid and the other pole in contact with the armature of the other solenoid when the solenoids are deenergized and serving to allow the response of one solenoid to current of one polarity and response of the other solenoid to current of opposite polarity a locking push-button switch controlling the circuits through said solenoids and means for unlocking said switch upon response of either solenoid.

8. The combination with a telephone register line extending from the central oflice to the telephone subscribers station, two polarized electro-solenoids included in a branch circuit of said telephone line, two armatures for said polarized electro-solenoids mechanism operated by said armatures for direct ing either the debit or the credit counter according to the positions of said armatures, and-means at the central office for impressing upon the telephone line positive and negative direct current for the energizing said polarized solenoids and causing the same to deflect either armature substantially as described.

GUSTAV I. BRUSCHKE.

Vitnesses:

S. W. LUNDBOM, GEO. M. REITz.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

